"Bring me fresh soil and prepare the priest's body." Gregori turned back to his work. Slow, unhurried, the beautiful ancient chant filled the night with hope and promise. No one would believe he was working against time, needing to get Mikhail on his feet this night. Aidan brought the richest soil he could find, stepping back to admire Gregori as he worked. The poultices were mixed carefully and applied over the external wounds. The wind stirred the dirt and dust from the pile of rocks, carrying warnings to the Carpathians. Two humans were approaching in a truck. Byron knelt beside Edgar Hummer, reverently running his hands over the priest's face, gathering the small, wasted body up into his arms. "I will take him to sacred ground, Gregori, and then destroy those bodies beside the cabin. Where is Jacques, that I might guard him?" "Jacques is safe," Gregori informed him tersely. Byron's dark eyes flashed at the implication. "I have guarded Jacques, as you have Mikhail. Do you think I would harm him?" Gregori regarded him for a long moment, astonished that Byron would dare to question him. It was a measure of the man's loyalty to Mikhail's brother that he would chance crossing the dark one."